There’s little doubt that New York Rangers team president Chris Drury is planning to be active this offseason.

Multiple league sources believe he’d like to take a big swing if the right opportunity presents itself, but as we detailed last week, the market isn’t exactly brimming with high-end talent. This year’s free-agent class is as shallow as any in recent years, and while ample trade speculation has surrounded stars such as Auston Matthews and Brady Tkachuk, banking on those far-fetched scenarios doesn’t suffice as a sound strategy.

Rather than hoping for a franchise-altering deal that may never come, the Rangers should be exploring moves that replenish their asset pool and infuse their lineup with much-needed skill, speed and youth. It will require levels of patience, creativity and opportunism that have been lacking in recent years, but Drury is believed to be looking under every rock for ways to turn this thing around.

We’ll examine some of the free-agent options as we get closer to July 1, but today’s exercise will focus on two types of trades New York is pursuing:

Acquiring young players with upside who haven’t hit their ceilings and could benefit from changes in scenery.
Weaponizing nearly $30 million in salary cap space to absorb contracts that other teams want to move and potentially turn them into additional assets.

This informed list is based on conversations with people around the league, including fellow beat writers at The Athletic, as well as our own research into the rosters and cap situations for all 32 teams. The theme was less about making a splash and more about practicality.

Young players with untapped potentialForwards

Mavrik Bourque, Dallas — As a 45-goal scorer, Jason Robertson would be highly sought after if contract talks break down. If the Stars work out a big-money extension, they’ll have to move money elsewhere. Bourque, a restricted free agent who had 20 goals and 41 points last year, could be priced out, allowing a team like the Rangers to swoop in. The 24-year-old was a 2020 first-round pick, has a bit of playoff experience, and is starting to come into his own.

William Eklund, San Jose — The Rangers are believed to be among the teams that have inquired about the Sharks’ No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft, but if San Jose holds it and adds another top forward prospect, others could become expendable in a trade for a defenseman (e.g., New York’s Braden Schneider). Eklund is near the top of that list with three years left on a contract that annually pays $5.6 million, but the Sharks have less-established prospects up front — such as Filip Bystedt, Igor Chernyshov and Quentin Musty — who could also enter the conversation.

Barrett Hayton, Utah — The 25-year-old was the No. 5 pick in 2018, and he had a 20-goal, 46-point season in 2024-25. Those numbers dipped this season, when he had only 10 goals and 25 points. The Mammoth have the cap flexibility to bring Hayton back in restricted free agency, but maybe they’ll try to use their space elsewhere, allowing a team like the Rangers to enter the picture as a potential trade partner.

Kent Johnson, Columbus — After notching career highs in points (57) and goals (24) in 2024-25, the No. 5 pick from 2021 saw his production plummet with just 22 points this season. By the end of the year, he was playing less than 10 minutes on some nights while getting scratched on others. As a possible trade candidate with one year remaining on a modest $1.8 million AAV contract before he becomes a restricted free agent, the 23-year-old winger could make sense for the Rangers.

Mason McTavish, Anaheim — Regarding the 23-year-old forward, colleague Pierre LeBrun recently wrote, “I know for a fact that several teams have inquired about him.” No one should be surprised if New York is one of them. McTavish is another former high pick (No. 3 in 2021) who’s stalled a bit in his current situation. He was more productive than Johnson last season with 41 points (17 goals and 24 assists) but was a healthy scratch in two playoff games for the forward-rich Ducks. He can play center and comes with contract certainty after signing a six-year, $42 million deal last year.

Danila Yurov, Minnesota — The Wild held firm on the 2022 first-rounder at the deadline, but could their second-round playoff exit and the lack of available high-level talent convince them to reconsider offering him for Rangers center Vincent Trocheck? The odds remain somewhat long, but it’s worth circling back on if you’re Drury.

Nate Danielson or Marco Kasper, Detroit — If the Red Wings want to resume any Trocheck discussions, they will presumably need to make one of their young forward prospects available. Danielson, the No. 9 pick in 2023, could make the most sense. The center got his first taste of NHL action this year and is still only 21. Kasper is also a top-10 pick (No. 8 in 2022) but took a step back with only 19 points this season, making him another possible buy-low candidate (assuming the Red Wings don’t still regard him highly).

Matias Maccelli or Nicholas Robertson, Toronto — A pair of RFA wingers coming off down years, both have uncertain futures in Toronto and shouldn’t cost much to acquire. Maccelli is two years removed from a 57-point campaign with the Arizona Coyotes, while Robertson has scored 14 or more goals in three straight seasons and grades as a strong skater. The Rangers would prefer to target Matthew Knies, but the 23-year-old would be much more costly. Easton Cowan, a 2023 first-round pick who posted 29 points as a rookie, is another name to monitor as a possible middle-ground target.

Defensemen

Michael Kesselring, Buffalo — The Rangers would prefer to take a shot at one of Buffalo’s talented, young left-handed defensemen such as Bowen Byram and Owen Power, and will likely try. But if those bigger deals don’t work out, Kesselring makes sense as a fallback. The Sabres were high on the 26-year-old when he was acquired from Utah as part of last summer’s JJ Peterka trade, but the 6-foot-5 righty fell out of favor quickly and was a frequent healthy scratch for Buffalo’s loaded D corps. He’s an RFA with arbitration rights.

Kevin Korchinski, Chicago — Still only 21, Korchinski was the No. 7 pick in 2022. After playing a full NHL season in 2023-24, he’s spent most of the past two seasons in the AHL. In a recent mailbag, colleague Scott Powers, who covers Chicago, questioned how much value he has at the moment, especially since he is now eligible for waivers. “The Blackhawks may not want to give up on Korchinski too soon, but it would be equally risky for a team to acquire him,” Powers wrote.

Mason Lohrei, Boston — The 25-year-old left-shot D was No. 17 on Chris Johnston’s offseason trade board as he enters the final year of a contract that pays $3.2 million annually. The Bruins are one of the teams that made a play for Trocheck, with the 6-foot-5 Lohrei a logical piece in a package if they re-engage the Rangers this summer.

Pavel Mintyukov, Anaheim — The Ducks have a group of free-agent defensemen, including Mintyukov (restricted), Olen Zellweger (restricted), John Carlson, Jacob Trouba and captain Radko Gudas, which will require tough choices. Mintyukov is behind Jackson LaCombe and Zellweger on the left-handed D depth chart, which could make the 22-year-old expendable. He was a healthy scratch early in the season, but his situation stabilized, and he played all 12 of his team’s playoff games.

William Wallinder, Detroit — Wallinder, a 2020 second-round pick, has yet to make his NHL debut. Perhaps if the Red Wings re-enter the Trocheck picture, he could be part of a package. He finished with 20 points and a plus-21 rating in 66 AHL games last season.

Contracts teams might be motivated to moveForwards

J.T. Compher, Detroit — Keep an eye on Compher if the Red Wings emerge as a Trocheck suitor. He’d probably be redundant in Detroit’s lineup if it landed Trocheck, making him a prime candidate to go back to New York. He could slot in at third-line center, and his $5.1 million cap hit the next two years wouldn’t be hard for the Rangers to make work. The 2022 Cup champion with Colorado is solid defensively and has scored double-digit goals every full season of his career.

Jake DeBrusk, Vancouver — As Johnston said in his trade board article, DeBrusk doesn’t fit the mold of a player a rebuilding team needs. He has a full no-movement clause, so he could nix a deal to New York. But if he’s interested, he could offer a middle-six upgrade with scoring ability. He scored at least 23 goals in four of the past five seasons.

Trent Frederic, Edmonton — The Oilers probably don’t want to trade Frederic with his value at its lowest, and they might have to attach draft capital to get off his contract, which has seven years remaining at $3.85 million per year. The wing had a difficult first full season in Edmonton with only seven points in 74 games: a far cry from the 18 goals and 40 points he had with Boston in 2023-24. At his best, though, he’s in the hard-to-play-against mold that Drury likes.

Ryan Hartman, Minnesota — The Wild are looking to make another splash in their effort to get over the Central Division hump and may need to trim to get there. Hartman has spent time centering Minnesota’s top line and is more valuable than many of the players in this category, but he’s also heading for free agency in 2027 and could be moved to make room for an upgrade at the position. Yakov Trenin, who led the NHL in hits this season, is another possible cap casualty.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Carolina — It hasn’t gone according to plan since the Eastern Conference champions lured Kotkaniemi away from Montreal with an offer sheet that still has four years remaining at an AAV of $4.82 million. The 25-year-old center appeared in only 42 regular-season games and none so far in the playoffs, making him a reclamation project who the Canes might have to attach an asset to if they’re going to convince another team to take him off their hands. But the Hurricanes might be reluctant to pay to get off his contract, especially since they seem to be entering the summer with some cap flexibility.

Evan Rodrigues, Florida — The Panthers could use a little breathing room as they aim to bounce back after missing the playoffs, particularly as they look to fill a Sergei Bobrovsky-sized hole in net. That could put Rodrigues in the crosshairs. He’s a two-time champion who still brings value as a hounding third-liner, but he’s also turning 33 in July and entering the final year of a contract that pays $3.075 million annually.

Frank Vatrano, Anaheim — Hello, old friend. The Rangers got a jolt from acquiring Vatrano at the 2022 deadline, then made an unsuccessful pitch to bring him back a couple years later. Now he’s tumbled down the depth chart in Anaheim following an injury-riddled season with only nine points (five goals and four assists) in 50 games and zero playoff appearances. It wouldn’t be wise to surrender any assets of consequence for Vatrano at this stage, but two years left at a $4.5 million AAV is a reasonable roll of the dice if the Ducks are looking to be rid of the contract.

Ross Colton or Valeri Nichushkin, Colorado — The Avalanche have the cap flexibility to run back a similar team to their 2025-26 Presidents’ Trophy-winning roster, but they could look to move some of their forwards to restock their depleted draft capital, round out their defensive corps and sign RFA Jack Drury (another potential trade target if negotiations go sideways). Colton (one year left at $4 million) has experienced an up-and-down tenure with the Avalanche, but when playing well, he’s the exact type of hard-nosed hockey Drury seems to crave. He has a 40-point season to his name and won a Cup with Tampa Bay.

Nichushkin, like Colton, has a 12-team no-trade list. He comes with more top-six upside, scoring at a 0.83 point-per-game pace the past five seasons and appearing on Selke Trophy ballots, but saw a dip in production this season. The Rangers would also be taking on more of a financial commitment: four years at $6.125 million annually.

Anthony Duclair or Ondřej Palát, Islanders — The Islanders have a few buyout candidates, including Duclair and Palát. Perhaps Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche would prefer sacrificing some draft capital to avoid buyout penalties, in which case the Rangers could swoop in and try to acquire either of these players and ask Darche to attach a pick.

Tomáš Hertl or William Karlsson, Vegas — The Western Conference champions are going to need to clear cap space one way or another. The Rangers don’t want to get older, nor get tied down to another declining player with four years remaining on his contract, but the $6.75 million AAV attached to the 32-year-old Hertl (who will be 33 next season) wouldn’t register as a huge number amid a continually rising salary cap.

The 33-year-old Karlsson would require a much shorter commitment, with only one year remaining at $5.9 million. Drury could also inquire about cheaper veterans, such as Nic Dowd or Keegan Kolesar. The dream scenario would be RFA Pavel Dorofeyev, but Vegas will be motivated to keep him, and New York lacks the necessary draft pick compensation to put together a competitive offer sheet.

Defensemen 

Ilya Lyubushkin, Dallas — The 32-year-old righty was in and out of the lineup this season and would make a lot of sense for the Stars as a cap-clearing candidate as he enters the final year of a deal that pays $3.25 million annually.

Jake Middleton, Minnesota — The 30-year-old lefty is the most obvious defenseman candidate to be dealt by Wild, with a chance to clear three years at a $4.35 million AAV. Jonas Brodin (two years left at a $6 million AAV) could fall into that category, as well, but he plays a bigger role when healthy and would be harder to pry away.

Brian Dumoulin or Joel Edmundson, Los Angeles — The Kings need to sign RFA Brandt Clarke and have limited cap flexibility. Perhaps moving a defenseman could be a recipe to clear some more room. Edmundson and Dumoulin are both Cup champions and have two years left on their deals with $3.85 million and $4 million cap hits, respectively. Mike Sullivan has plenty of familiarity with Dumoulin from their time together in Pittsburgh.